From Ian Gallon, Bridport, Dorset, UK
In late 2017, I decided to give a talk on fire to a science discussion group in the University of the Third Age. The occurrence of a supernova when savannah appeared (14 October 2017, p 7), black kites taking burning twigs to start new fires (13 January 2018, p 4) and Neanderthals hardening wooden spears in the fire (10 February 2018, p 15) all featured in your pages in the following weeks.
A year ago, I offered a talk on water and was hit by a deluge of articles on water, including the news that it can be considered as two liquids (2 June 2018, p 26).
I decided to write to thank you for this support and to let you know that the following talk would be on Earth, completing a discussion of three classical elements. Before I got around to it, you published an account of the first 3.5 billion years of life here (12 January, p 28).
Have you teamed up with a tech firm to read your readers' minds?
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